The Plant of the Week takes top billing this month because it stands right outside my back door, and is just filled with blooms.
Beautybush or Kolkwitzia amabilis is one old-fashioned shrub the plant marketeers haven’t got a hold of, yet. Perhaps, it’s because they feel like Michael Dirr, author of the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants who says about Beautybush, “In flower it is singularly effective; however, the rest of the year, it gives one a headache.”
So take some aspirin I say, because as I look at it in flower now, it is more than singularly effective. It has a vase shaped habit with long arching branches covered with flowers. Bloom time is a good couple of weeks. It can be trained into a small tree that can be underplanted with your choice of shade lovers. Maximum height is 15 feet. Here, a Clematis jackmannii has found its way into it, giving us two blooms out of this beauty. I highly recommend trying to find it.
What’s Bugging Your Garden Part 2: Bug Basics
Along with death and taxes, it is a certainty that there are a lot of bugs in this world. It is also not something most of us smile about, and when they attack our plants our frowns often turn to rage. In some cases, like an invasion of Japanese beetles, it can even make you turn in your gardening tools.
The secret to successfully living with those who dare to create problems in our gardens is identification. The Japanese beetle is an easy one because it’s big enough to see, and you can see it doing the damage. Sometimes it’s not so easy. Either the perpetrator is not there, or it’s too small to be seen. A pocket magnifier of 10-20x helps to see them. Of course, it also helps to know what to look for. That’s where the internet is invaluable. You can google a symptom and plant name, and within seconds you have the clues you’ll need.
Identification is important in determining whether control measures are needed. The spittlebug is conspicuous in landscapes now. Its habit of covering itself in froth can be very alarming when first seen; however, it rarely does enough damage in the landscape or garden to warrant control measures.
Spider mites, though, are bugs that might warrant control with sprays. It’s important to know that you need a miticide to kill them. An insecticide like Sevin will not. It’s important also to identify which spider mite is doing the damage, because as I said last week, timing is everything.
The two main problem mites are the Spruce and Two-spotted spider mites. The Spruce spider mite can ruin an Alberta Spruce. It can render an entire side brown before you notice. Spraying a miticide in July though will not be effective because these spider mites hate the heat. They essentially go dormant until the weather cools. The two-spotted spider mite is the exact opposite. It can damage roses and burning bushes among other plants, and it is very active in the heat.
An excellent tool to help with timing is the Growing Degree Day calendar. It chronicles the emergence of pests in the garden according to the accumulation of heat units measured as Growing Degree Days (GDD). This calendar has also been correlated with the flowering of common landscape plants. For example, the spruce spider mite becomes active at 7 to 121 GDD which is the time the pussy willow is blooming. The two-spotted spider mite becomes a real threat much later at 1300 to 2000 GDD with the blooming of the Butterfly Bush. OSU has a website where you can put in your zip code and find the GDD for your area along with what pests are active. (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/)
Managing pests this way is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). I like to call it Informed Pest Management. It is a little more work but it is more effective, and you might just save some money to buy a few more plants. Coming next week Part 3: A Disease Digest.
Happenings
The big event this weekend is the peony show at Kingwood Center. Every five years or so, Kingwood is selected as the site for the national meeting of the American Peony Society. So in addition to seeing the large collection of peonies that Kingwood has, you’ll some of the best peony growers exhibiting their best blooms inside the Meeting Hall. It will be open for public viewing from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Kingwood’s peonies will be open all day, both days. For more information, go to www.kingwoodcenter.org.
Next Thursday, June 12, NECIC’s Raising Richland program is hosting “The Great Strawberry Swap.” Veteran Community Garden organizer Madonna Brock will be facilitating the event. No experience or strawberries necessary to attend, but if you’re dividing your strawberry plants this year, bring some to share. Here’s a link to the FB page for the event: http://goo.gl/kJa7Cg.
And if you’re interested in touring some of the innovative organic farming operations around Ohio this summer, here’s a schedule of workshops and tours sponsored by the OEFFA. There may be some people from the local gardening community attending so carpooling may be an option. Contact Jean Taddie at jean@necic-ohio.org from the NECIC for more information, and ask her to send you her e-newsletter. It is always full of great information.
So go see some peonies this weekend, divide your strawberries, and as always get dirty.
Since his days as forced labor in his mother’s garden, John has learned to enjoy gardening and has actually made a career out of it. From the backyards of Columbus to the rooftops of Manhattan, John has soiled his hands. Former Head Gardener at Kingwood Center, John still gets his hands dirty in the local community. You can contact him at jmakley@centurylink.net.